Sleep? Who Needs Sleep? I've Got A Business To Run, Thank You Very Much!

My life can get pretty crazy. Crazy as in crazy, freakin' BUSY — juggling projects, business trips, speaking engagements and more at the same time as keeping the mechanics of my business in order. (Not actual mechanics, more like the inner workings. What's with these time sheets — did someone forget to clock out? Taxes, again?!) Then there's my actual life. And sometimes it's hard to separate the two. But I do try, sort of. Some of this may sound weirdly familiar, like I'm describing your life. And if you run your own business, that makes perfect sense. We entrepreneurs are a different breed. We live crazy all the time. And most of us wouldn't have it any other way. So this week, I'm talking about the characteristics of an entrepreneur that are basically essential to living — and loving! — this crazy life.

I'm pretty sure I could write a list of 47 traits that every business owner should have, without using Google even once. If pressed, I could add another 20 for good measure... or just to make you feel inadequate. But I'm not mean, so I won't do that. Therefore, in the interest of time (since I do have to move on with my day at some point), I'll give you five characteristics of an entrepreneur that I think are pretty important. Ask me for this list of top 5 on another day and it might be different. But for today, here's what comes to mind.

My Top 5 Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur!

Join the optimist club. No one in their right mind would start a business if they thought for sure it would fail. I mean, that's just dumb. So optimism and a belief in oneself are key.

Channel the Energizer Bunny. There's a lot to do and it's all on you. So get your butt to work. Stay there all day. Then get up early and do it all over again tomorrow. Sleep? What's that? Life as a solo business owner won't always be like this. But you're almost guaranteed to experience some version of this in the beginning. So if you don't have the energy, honey this life ain't for you!

Be resourceful. There's a ton to figure out: financing, marketing, bookkeeping, how to adjust the damn thermostat, how to spend money wisely. You need to know what you're doing. That might mean hiring help or learning about it yourself. Being ill prepared to manage money could be the difference between staying open for another year and closing up shop with huge losses.

Must love adventure. If you're completely risk averse, well, you'd probably prefer a job with a steady paycheck. And that's totally fine! In fact, business owners rely on people like that to work for them. But if you're the one at the helm, you need to embrace a certain degree of risk. Plus, you need to be resilient in order to bounce back when risks don't pay off.

More flexible than a yoga instructor. Things will never go exactly according to plan. That's one thing you can count on! Your ability to adapt, change direction, jump to plan B, and keep up with changes in your industry will allow you to remain in the game. Flexibility in business is super important!

Be Oh So Quotable This Week!

You know what else you need to be a successful entrepreneur? Some good sales strategies. So do you want to eliminate frustration and increase cash? Discover 8 simple ideas to get clients, identify the three types of clients and create your sales system. Get Our Top 5 Strategies right here for FREE!

I always say running a business means the work never ends! Ain't that the truth? I bet your to-do list is a mile long! Make sure that the items at the top of your list are the things that relate to being more profitable. Everyone is so proud of being so "busy"...But Are You Making Any Money? Don't be too busy to focus!

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur – Tip #1:

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"An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down." – Reid Hoffman

Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur – Tip #2:

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"Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It's the mastery of fear. It's about getting up one more time than we fall down." – Arianna Huffington

Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur – Tip #3:

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"Entrepreneurs cross the fine line between crazy and genius." – Greg Berry

Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur – Tip #4:

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"An entrepreneur is someone who has the passion and courage to try something that’s never been done before." – Jim Patterson

Characteristics Of An Entrepreneur – Tip #5:

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"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." – Bruce Lee

Let's talk! I'd love to hear what characteristics of an entrepreneur you think are key!

Is it motivation? Creativity? What characteristics of an entrepreneur do you think are important? I would LOVE to hear from you! Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week!

Oh by the way, in case you're looking for something to help with pricing, keep more money in your pocket and take your business to the next level, we've got it right here! And it's FREE!

And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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